Dementia from the Inside

Reviewed by: G. Connor Salter, Professional Writing alumnus from Taylor University, Upland, IN.Title: Dementia from the Inside

Title: Dementia from the inside

Author: Dr. Jennifer Bute with Louise Morse

Publisher: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge

Publication Date: November 15, 2018

Format: Paperback

Length: 128 pages

OVERVIEW

“I ask God to help me rejoice in adversity,” Jennifer Bute says in this book’s preface. This is particularly difficult in her case since she suffers from young-onset dementia. Writing with Louise More, Bute describes her life story – her childhood, family life, and her exemplary career as a medical doctor in Africa and the United Kingdom – and the changes she went through after being diagnosed with dementia in 2009. She then shifts to stories about how she handles her dementia symptoms, her experiences with other people who have dementia, and gives advice on how people can help their loved ones survive and even thrive while having dementia.

While Bute and More don’t dive deep enough into Bute’s feelings about her life experiences to make this book work as a memoir, but as a short autobiography it works fairly well. Readers get enough information about Bute’s life to understand how her faith impact her diagnosis and how her life changed considerably afterward. The book reaches its peak when the writers talk about what it’s like to experience having dementia and start debunking common misconceptions about the illness. Among other things, they use recent research that shows patients can actually keep their minds developing and fight many dementia symptoms.

All things considered, this book gives a refreshing, perceptive look at how patients can not only cope with dementia, they can find ways to fight back and even grow in new ways.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5 stars)

4 stars

Intended Audience

People who’ve been diagnosed with dementia and family members helping them adjust to new living patterns.

Christian Impact

This book will help people facing what seems like the ultimate embarrassing disease to keep functioning, live healthy, and even thrive in ways they never expected.

Note: Since this book was written by British authors, some of the phrases used throughout the book are in British English instead of American English (such as “cooker hob” for oven burners or “flats” for apartments). Readers may find this initially challenging but they can quickly adjust to it.